Amadeus (Theatrical Cut) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)
40 years ago, the past was having a bit of a resurgence. Linda Ronstadt was topping the pop charts with an album of old-time standards with a full orchestra. In theaters we were taken back in time with films like The Color Purple and Amadeus. With Amadeus, Milos Forman and playwright Peter Schaffer crafted a gloriously accessible period drama that could excite, stun, and incite laughter in anyone. Now in 2025, for the first time since 2002 the Theatrical Cut has been made available on home media for the first time. Amadeus won the Oscar for Best Picture along with seven other awards and deservedly so. Let’s go back with Wolfie and the orchestra and see what it was like living with a made-up rivalry with Antonio Salieri…
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I did not have it on my bingo card to see a sequel to Den of Thieves. Regardless of how that first film ended, it just felt like a one-off film for me. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t my favorite either admittedly. When Den of Thieves 2: Pantera was first announced and my research told me it was finished in 2023, I wondered if it had been held back for any specific reasons and felt relief when it turned out to be a distributer issue. Now, all I had to do was turn my brain off and watch… So, what’s going on with “Big” Nick and Donnie these days? Find out where they’re at and what the next score is below! You may want to get in on it yourself!
Nearly 25 years passed between the releases of Gladiator and Gladiator II. Between releases I know I wasn’t the only one hearing rumors of a sequel and wondering: “What the hell could they possibly need to dig up to make another movie about??” But here we are at the home release of Gladiator II. A few months after the theatrical release, after the reveal of a massively talented and famous cast and mixed to positive reviews not unlike the original film, we have a new release on 4K and Blu-ray. I will come out right away and say it – Gladiator II more than delivers, and you can read more about that now! As Maximus Meridius once asked, “Are you not entertained?” I was with this new installment, and the presentation is: Chef’s Kiss…
Even early into 2025, it feels like the year of David Fincher. With the late 2024 release of Zodiac in 4K, as well as the new years release of Se7en for its 30th Anniversary we’ve already seen some of his greatest hits on display in the best physical media format. Now, we’ve got Panic Room making its UHD and Blu-ray debuts from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment! How did this tense thriller take over 20 years to make it to these formats? How many of us are still holding onto our slim Superbit DVDs of Panic Room? And where does the film live on your list of Fincher flicks? Read on and find out what’s hidden behind the mirrored door!
Constantine directed by Francis Lawrence and starring Keanu Reeves, is a visually stunning film that delves into the supernatural world of demons and angels. The movie is based on the DC Comics’ Hellblazer series and follows John Constantine, a cynical occult detective with the ability to see and communicate with half-angels and half-demons. Now after 20 years, the film has elevated from box office sleeper hit with bad reviews to huge selling physical media fan favorite with tons of fans! Now, will those fans be pleased with this 
Since 1939, The Wizard Of Oz has been a great source of entertainment for filmgoers. Before that the L. Frank Baum novels captured the imaginations of people of all ages too. As a novel, then stage musical, Wicked has been on the minds of pop culture fans for decades now. After a long, and as Ariana Grande has said, “unbearable” promotional campaign and a hugely successful theatrical run, the film version of the first part of Wicked has arrived at home! The film was an instant success with audiences and critics, and now we can hold it in our hands! I for one am holding space for this release, and you can read more about it here!
Parker Finn’s Smile was an unexpected hit back in 2022. Two years later, Finn returns with Smile 2, hoping to once again terrify us with a delicious blend of scares and gore. Does it hit the mark or does it shoot for the sky? Skye Riley that is… Read on and find out for yourself. But don’t stare into the eyes of the creep you might find smiling at you in the corner, ok? It could be a horrible idea…
One can never fault David Fincher for not having a style. His films are full of images that are dense with detail. The stories are always different. Fincher never tells the same kind of story, and I love his work for that very reason. When Se7en was released in 1995, the grisly thriller was a huge success universally and spawned a style that people still try to replicate 30 years later. Now, we get the long awaited 4K UHD Blu-ray release of Se7en, and of course, we want to know, “what’s in the box?”
Once upon a time, the action genre wasn’t all superheroes and spies. We had cops or criminals, action stars like Stallone and Schwarzenegger, and usually even the bad would do decent box office business. Jean Claude Van Damme was one of the 80s’ biggest prospects at one point. Handsome with an accent and a very well-conditioned body, he was goals for the men in the audience, and eye-candy for their dates. Bloodsport ushered in the resurgence of martial arts films in the US. Following up with Kickboxer it is clear that Van Damme and his collaborators from Bloodsport wanted to add some depth to the very simple story they’d created. How does it fare 35 years later and in 4K? Shake your booty into the review and find out!
OK, so let’s just get it out of the way now – We know that Joker: Folie À Deux was a monumental failure this year. The enticing mixture of Phoenix and Gaga and some musical sequences seemed like a heady continuation of the original Joker, a film I still think about to this day as an incredible meditation of a man’s downfall in succumbing to the destruction of his own mental health. The 2020’s answer to Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy, Joker was rife for an explosive continuation. Now, you ask me… is the sequel as awful as we’ve read about and been made to believe? Don your clown makeup and read on and see for yourself. You may want to tap dance after you’ve read my thoughts…
When I was a kiddo, I was one of those kids that watched Transformers a lot. In between my watching Muppet Babies, Heathcliff and Inspector Gadget, I made sure to catch up on the gang of autobots on their many adventures. Funny enough, I even had a baby blue Transformers lunchbox. I never had any of the toys, and I don’t remember much if any of the lore now, which is just a natural part of growing older. When I heard news and saw the trailer for Transformers One, I knew somehow I’d be able to reconnect with the characters better than I was able to for the other Transformers films. More on that later. Transformers Oneis unique based on it’s being an animated film. We haven’t seen that since the 80’s for this franchise. So how does the property translate into family-friendly animation you ask? Find out inside the review. While you read, try to remember – Which Transformer was your favorite?
Shaun of the Dead came out the same year I graduated high school. I was ready to leave school forever, ignoring that I was starting college in the fall, and I was listening to Yeah! by Usher way too much. I was also giving myself a film education at the time. I began to reach beyond typical commercial films and looked for things that were different. Among those different films was Shaun. Randomly falling on a DVD copy of the film with a good friend, I was a huge fan after the first few moments. 20 years later, does the film stand up? And how does the new 20th Anniversary 4K edition stand up to the one released in 2019? Find out more about my love for Shaun of the Dead as well as all the new add-ons to the home media package for the film! Don’t leave the front door open, and make sure you don’t have red on you either!
